Our identity is at the core of who we are. And the source of our identity determines a LOT in our lives.
As Christian women, our identity is rooted in Jesus. But what does that mean, exactly? And how does this break down in practical, everyday terms - especially as women in this crazy, modern world?
Well, sister, that is exactly what I'm going to cover in today's episode. Join me as I breakdown the definition of identity; what it means to have our identity in Christ; and what we need to be aware of on a daily basis.
P.S. I've also included some serious encouragement!
Show Notes:
Intro
Alright, friend. To get this ball rolling, let’s first ground ourselves in the definition of identity. When we talk about “identity,” what exactly do we mean?
One definition goes like this: “who you are, the way you think about yourself, the way you are viewed by the world and the characteristics that define you.”
Oh, there is so much packed into that. Did you catch all of that?
First, there’s who you are. Second, there’s the way you think about yourself. Third, there’s the way you are viewed by the world. And fourth, there’s the characteristics that define you.
Your identity is a very, very foundational part of yourself. And it can include a lot of things. I’m female. I’m a UX Designer by day. I’m a divorcee. These are some of the characteristics that make-up who I am.
For others of you, it could be things such as: being a wife or mother; being a sex trafficing survivior; being color blind; being an architect. I know before I met Christ, I used to consider who I listened to in music as part of my identity.
But what is the most important aspect of our identity? The core. The foundation.
As Christian women...the heart of our identity is in belonging to Jesus.
Remember the very first part of the definition I just read? Our identity is “who we are.” And who are we first and foremost?
When we are Saved...when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior...we are given a new identity in Christ.
Paul explains this in Corinthians 15:45-49. It says: “We follow this sequence in Scripture: The First Adam received life, the Last Adam [which is Jesus who died on the cross for our sins] is a life-giving Spirit. Physical life comes first, then spiritual—a firm base shaped from the earth, a final completion coming out of heaven. The First Man was made out of earth, and people since then are earthy; the Second Man was made out of heaven, and people now can be heavenly. In the same way that we’ve worked from our earthy origins, let’s embrace our heavenly ends.”
What this passage is saying is that there are actually two Adams. The first is Adam from Genesis. When we’re born, we’re born into the family of the first Adam which is polluted with sin. But for those of us who accept Christ, we are then born of the second Adam - Jesus. And at that point, God sees us again as His children through Jesus’s sacrifice.
That means, friend, when we gave our life to Christ...our identity is now rooted in Christ. And why we’re called Christians. We are Christ’s people. And God’s children.
And one of the most amazing things to note is that God chooses to identify us with Christ before we choose to give our lives to Christ - essentially identifying with Jesus ourselves. I was certainly not looking for Christ when God pursued me and then I gave my life to Christ.
Sister, this means that the God of the universe hand-picked you. You. Despite your sin, your circumstances, your failures. He sent His Son to die for you, and then He hand-picked you, to become one of His closest children.
Um, can I just say that is one heck of a foundational identity?! Keep that in mind the next time someone is tearing you down or making you feel invaluable. That’s a situation where you respond with, “I was hand-picked by the God of the universe and my identity is in Jesus Christ. So I’m choosing not to accept these remarks.”
And friend, as a footnote to this, this is where the Enemy will try and get in and convince you that you’re not worthy. That God doesn’t really want you. Who do you think you are? Are you forgetting the things you’ve done? Blah, blah, blah.
We simply can’t give into that. Does anyone know you better than the God who created you, first of all? And He wants you despite all those things. He loves you so much that He sent His only son to die a gruesome, highly painful death. I mean, if that doesn’t scream knight in shining armor of all time, I don’t know what does.
And second, the last thing the Enemy wants is for you to be in relationship with God - or Jesus. And He certainly doesn’t want you to die and be reborn as something new. Why? Many reasons, including that…
When we are Saved, and our identity is rooted in Christ, we become something new...and continue to change for our entire lives.
When we are Saved, we are no longer of the world. We are of the Kingdom of Heaven. So now, our life is about following Jesus, wherever He leads us, instead of following the world and where the Enemy wanted us to go. Which was probably not a great place. After all, the goal of Satan is to steal, kill, and destroy.
Suddenly, the game has changed. We’re not looking to the world for our identity or purpose or to fill in the holes in our hearts. We’re looking to Jesus. And reading and feasting on the Word. And letting Jesus get in there and root out sin, and free us from things that had us in bondage, and taking us along this life-long journey of sanctification.
And no matter how we sin (because we still will - no one is perfect), or mess up, or fail...God does not condemn us. Because God sees us through the sacrifice of Jesus. Psalm 103:12 says, “He [being God] has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” Condemnation or guilt is from the Enemy, never God or Jesus.
Friend, when we give our life to Christ, we aren’t who we were before that moment. Our identity was in the world; now it’s in Christ. And always will be moving forward. And as we follow Jesus, He will make us more like Him.
So if we go back to our definition of identity from above, now it has a different meaning, right?
The definition, again, is: “who you are, the way you think about yourself, the way you are viewed by the world and the characteristics that define you.”
Who you are… What is the answer to that question? First and foremost, who are you? You’re a child of God and a follower of Christ. That is the core aspect of your identity. And everything else stems from that.
Next, the way you think about yourself. Oh, ladies. This one just got real. Especially for us as females. Why? Two reasons.
One, because we are really, really good at beating ourselves up internally.
And two, because the world and the Enemy are really, really good at telling us who we should be, wanting us to reach unattainable goals, and keeping us unempowered. (Some of this relates back to episodes 11 and 12, so you might want to check those out. Your mind will be blown, I promise you. But a lot of things about life will suddenly make sense.)
So...the way you think about yourself. Well, if who you are is a child of God (who handpicked you) and a follower of Jesus (who willingly died to save you and allow you to have a new life)...then the way you think about yourself is based on that. Or should be. I’m not saying this is easy, trust me! This is a daily battle.
But you need to ask God (or Jesus) to help you see yourself the way He sees you. Not the way you see yourself, or the world, or the Enemy. Because that changes a lot. Just right here, on the second part of this definition of identity, can you see how your decisions, and actions, and sense of self-worth and value, and so many things change or shift for the better...if it’s built on top of this? This is a mic drop moment.
Let’s continue. Next up in our definition is: the way you are viewed by the world. Now, I think the example that went with this definition was something like country of origin. So people see you as American, or Canadian, or Brazilian. In our case, we’re not talking about where we live or anything akin to that. We’re not talking about who we belong to. Our identity is in Christ. Therefore, we’re Christian.
And if we’re Christian...and if we ask God for help to see ourselves as He sees us...whether it’s sin, our weight, our looks, whatever we feel ‘less than’ in...that greatly changes how the world views us. Because we aren’t operating out of this world or like this world.
We’re operating from a completely different place. ‘Cause we’re not of this world anymore. We’re of Christ. We act differently. People can see the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. We’re making choices differently. We’re walking out in faith. Everything isn’t about us. We’re not tethered to sin and bondage. All the things.
We belong to Christ; therefore the world sees Jesus in us.
And then last but not least, we have the final part of the definition which is: the characteristics that define you.
Since I’m clearly in a definition mood, I Googled the meaning of the word “characteristics” and found this: “the qualities or features that belong to a person and make them recognizable.”
Oh, this just keeps getting better! So for us, I’m actually going to tweak this a little bit. Instead of going with the original phrase of “the characteristics that define you”...I’m going to say, well, that doesn’t really work for us. Because we’re not defined by things; we’re foundationally defined by who - which is Jesus.
So let’s scratch that and replace it with “the qualities or features that belong to a person and make them recognizable.” This makes more sense. If who we are is a child of God and follower of Jesus. If how we see ourselves is, ideally, through their eyes instead of the world’s. (Or the Enemy's.) And, as such, we stand out in the world as different. Then sister, all the ways, big and small, in which the world takes note of us are “the qualities or features that belong to a person and make them recognizable.” In other words, we are recognizable as followers of Christ.
Can you see it? This is how everything is rooted in Christ.
And there’s one additional thing I want to drive home here, friend…
Your purpose, calling, sense of worth, the decisions you make...everything should stem from your identity in Christ.
Why do I want to drive this home? Because, again, as women we are told countless messages a day as to who we should be. Social media, magazines, TV and movies, culture, our workplace, family, friends… We’re told how much we should weigh, how we should act, how we shouldn’t act, how we should dress, that things are our fault or responsibility when they belong to others…
We’re raised in a culture where, as adults, we’ve been actively purging all the misyongy we took in growing up.
Even in certain churches, we’re told we need to focus on serving. We need to be married. We need to have kids.
Sister, listen...at the end of the day, the only voice we should be listening to is Jesus. Jesus is where our identity comes from. Jesus knows our God-given calling and purpose. Jesus knows how God sees us. (Again, I highly recommend listening to episodes 11 and 12.) Jesus is the one who helps us break free from all this junk that can hold us captive and that we’re literally bombarded with all day, every day.
The only person you need to follow is Jesus. I’m not saying you don’t plug into Godly community. I’m not saying you don’t seek confirmation or wisdom or Godly counsel. I’m not saying you don’t dig into the Word.
What I am saying is that as modern women, who have more messages coming at us than ever before in history, we need to make a point to ensure we’re following Jesus. Not culture. Not that one lady on Instagram. Not the misogynist bosses at our workplace.
And as followers of Jesus, and Daughters of the King, we need to be vigilant in protecting our identity. What do I mean? I mean things like, do you really need to be on social media? Is that book by the so-called Christian author really Biblical? Am I choosing to believe this person when they constantly tell me that I’m a failure or I need to lose weight or that I won’t ever get that promotion?
Ladies, we have to be on guard. Our identity can’t be taken from us...but we can forget it. We can drift from it. We can choose to accept things that don’t align with it. We can go our entire lives without finding our God-given dream because we were too busy trying to measure up to what other people want instead of what Jesus wants.
And one last word on this...every one of you ladies listening to this has a God-given calling or dream. Every one of you. The only place you are going to discover it, if it’s not something you’re already aware of, is within your true identity. As a child of God and a follower of Jesus.
I’ve shared this before. But when Jesus was giving me the direction for the new Relate Escape, which included a podcast, He specifically told me to include the words “Jesus” and “empowered.” Jesus is on a mission to empower His women. And a large part of that starts with owning our real identity.
That’s at the heart of everything. If we don’t get and own our identity, and if we don’t protect it, we're going to be much more liable to not be empowered. Because so many things in the culture and world want us women in a box. Or to be focused on unachieveable things. Or to feel alone, or hopeless, or powerless. Or to feel like beauty is something that’s unsafe or bad. (Again, I highly recommend episodes 11 and 12. The Enemy actually has a special hatred for women, which is what those episodes are about. And that ties into things we see happening in the world.)
Our identity in Christ, along with all the other things we’ve talked about, is our gauge, sisters. What does Scripture say about women? About beauty? About how God sees us? ‘Cause we have a lot of stuff we have to sift through. Am I right?
Your identity in Christ is very, very key friend. And powerful. Own it, sister. Own it with all you’ve got!